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John Luya, Olds 1945 - 1950 (August 2017)

JOHN LUYA (Olds 1945 - 1950)

John was born on the Wirral in 1932 into a locally known family of Huguenot extraction.He died from cancer on 4th August 2017, aged 85. At Lancing from 1945, in those cold post war winters, he was a determined character. In due course he became a CSM in the OTC, a House Captain and, remarkably, Captain of Swimming for three seasons. After Lancing he joined the Royal Artillery, opting for a longer commission in 1951, rather than 2 years in National Service and this led to selection for Army pilot training. We lost touch until our respective postings to Hong Kong where John flew the Army's two seater Auster aircraft from Tai Po airstrip. He had a wonderful time, impressing the Colony's eligible ladies amid the rigours of drinks parties and dinners. His final army posting was Malaya - from where one of his aircraft turned up on Salisbury Plain nearly 60 years later. As a civilian, training as a UK air traffic controller then seemed appropriate so starting at Prestwick he moved on and up to senior management at Heathrow. On retirement he advised the Dept of Transport on their new control centre in Hampshire.

He married Sue in 1962, beginning some 50 happy years marked with regular and convivial trips abroad. However these may have masked a private person and a serious thinker, reluctant to talk about himself but a good listener giving sound advice to friends and family. In 1968 he and Sue became exemplary Godparents to my elder daughter. Together with Sue, who predeceased him, they were active Christians running Alpha course house groups for their church as well as in association with Holy Trinity Brompton.
John is survived by his daughters, Elizabeth, Mandy and Victoria.